We started our hike at 6.30am. The weather was a little warmer than forecast (69f already) – so I ended up stripping off my layers pretty quickly (was a bit smarter this time in actually having the layers to shed!). Make sure you have bug spray – even my husband was being bit through his long pants and shirt.
I highly recommend starting early, as the sun is still behind the mountain so you are hiking in shade basically up until you hit the Saddle. This hike felt a lot steeper from the start compared with Wilson. We took it pretty easy, stopping when we wanted to, having second breakfast around the 3rd mile marker (was planning on waiting until the saddle but my stomach was grumbling so we didn't mind stopping on a branch).
We got to the saddle around 8.30, and hung out for a bit. Applied sunscreen as there is not much shade once you leave the flats. Also it's super windy up there, so depending on the temperature, if it's cooler you'll definitely want a windbreaker.
Not much to say about the 2 hours to the top that hasn't been covered. Once you hit the switch backs it feels like it's never going to end haha. There's a point where you have two different directions you can go; straight ahead has a lot of rocks piled up as a makeshift wall, if you go this way it is a very steep climb, although you are cutting out a lot of switchbacks. If you turn left, you just go the easier route that brings you around the mountain slower.
We reached the summit after 4 hours of walking. Ended up hanging out up there for almost an hour. Ate, made friends, took a pee break, took photos, then started our descent.
It was starting to get really hot on the way down. But it was a pretty easy descent (I always race down), so we didn't end up stopping, maybe for 5 minutes max to fix my husbands socks.
We both ran out of water (2.5L each) around the 3 mile marker, so we didn't want to be hanging out in the heat longer than we had to. We made it to the carpark 3 hours after we left the summit, making our total time walking around 7 hours.
Overall enjoyed the hike significantly more than Wilson. Felt better prepared, more hydrated, and ultimately better views (although Wilson has historical significance).